Yemeni Ports: From the Corruption of the Influential Figures and the Conflict of Agents, Towards a Second Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood
(Translated)
Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 600 - 20/05/2026
By: Ustaadh Sulaiman Al-Muhajiri – Wilayah Yemen

Yemen’s seaports are distinguished by their unique strategic location on the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea. They represent a tremendous sovereign asset for the people of Yemen in particular and for the Islamic Ummah in general. Therefore, any approach to these ports must first and foremost be based on an Islamic perspective, as this is the only correct one. These resources are the common public property of Muslims, just like all natural resources, as evidenced by the saying of the Prophet (saw) who said,

«الْمُسْلِمُونَ شُرَكَاءُ فِي ثَلَاثٍ: فِي الْمَاءِ وَالْكَلَأِ وَالنَّارِ، وَثَمَنُهُ حَرَامٌ» “Muslims are partners in three things: water, pasture, and fire, and its price is forbidden.” (Narrated by Ibn Majah). And the Prophet Muhammad (saw) also said, on the authority of a man from the Muhajireen: “I fought alongside the Messenger of Allah (saw) on three occasions, and I heard him say,

«الْمُسْلِمُونَ شُرَكَاءُ فِي ثَلَاثٍ: الْمَاءِ وَالْكَلَأِ وَالنَّارِ» “Muslims are partners in three things: water, pasture, and fire.’” (Narrated by Abu Dawud). The corruption of the Al-Alimi government and the conflicts surrounding it have turned Yemeni ports into a colonized resource from which no benefit is derived. This is nothing but an inevitable consequence of the absence of a Khilafah Rashidah on the Method of Prophethood.

Therefore, it is forbidden to privatize ports for foreign or local companies to own. According to these evidences, ports must remain the property of all Muslims, managed by the state, which must then use their revenues to meet the needs of its citizens rather than allowing them to become tools in the hands of a corrupt system. Since Yemen controls some of the most important waterways, these ports represent a vital resource, not merely commercial facilities, but tools of political and military power. It is because of this strategic importance that the warring parties seek to control them to ensure their continued rule, not to care for the people of Yemen and provide for their needs, but to serve their disbelieving, colonialist masters.

The government of Rashad al-Alimi is part of a system of corruption and subservience. It is a sinister entity that exploits the land’s wealth for the benefit of the disbelieving colonialist under the guise of enhancing Yemen’s position in international trade. The Yemeni Minister of Transport stated that the ministry’s vision does not stop at the port of Aden. Instead, it extends to a comprehensive plan for developing Yemeni ports, from Burum in Hadramawt to Qarma in Socotra, culminating in the reactivation of all stalled projects (Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, April 27, 2026). A private source told Al-Hurra TV, “The idea of establishing an alternative route for exporting oil through Yemeni territory emerged early on, with proposals to extend a massive oil pipeline passing through Hadramawt or Al-Mahra to the Arabian Sea, thus providing a safe outlet away from the Strait of Hormuz.” (Al-Hurra, April 22, 2026). The Asharq Al-Awsat website reported on April 27, 2026 that “this trend comes amidst governmental optimism that the land's ports, stretching along the coasts of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, could play a vital role in the future of international trade and serve neighboring Arab lands.” However, what was published in Asharq Al-Awsat clearly indicates that Yemeni ports have not and will not play a vital role in the future of local trade, let alone global trade. As for you, the people of Yemen, your share is in injustice, poverty, and destitution!

These actions are not mere administrative corruption; they are a systematic policy, a carefully planned scheme. These individuals are nothing more than pawns in the hands of their disbelieving masters who manipulate them as they please. Ports are being offered as gifts to foreign companies in exchange for political loyalty, and their revenues are siphoned off into the pockets of the powerful instead of revitalizing the economy. Not to mention the suspension of salaries and the spread of famine. All the people of Yemen are paying the price, while the elite sit atop mountains of gold. How wretched are their deeds!

Islam, the Shariah Law of the Lord of the Worlds, has guided us and provided the correct perspective on these resources. However, these Shariah rulings are contingent upon the establishment of the system that Allah (swt) has ordained for us: the Khilafah Rashidah, which Hizb ut Tahrir (Party of Liberation) makes Dawah for. Under the Second Khilafah Rashidah on the Method of the Prophethood, the ports of Yemen will be transformed from being hotbeds of conflict into centers of economic prosperity. This is because they will be managed within the Islamic economic system, which considers ports public property that cannot be sold off in privatization or monopolized. The revenues from these ports will go directly to the Bait-ul-Maal (state treasury) of the Muslims, benefiting the lives of the people and not perpetuating domestic and external alienation. In addition to becoming part of the Khilafah’s military force, the Khilafah’s naval fleets will protect waterways to ensure security and trade, and no state, no matter how powerful, can then blackmail the Muslims. Simply put, the Khilafah is the only solution to all the world’s problems, not just those of Yemen, and it will transform the struggle for control of ports into a comprehensive economic and security gain for the Islamic Ummah.

The ports of Yemen, mired in corruption and infighting, will be transformed into a completely different vision, which lies only in the unity of the Ummah under the Rayah banner of Islam. It is fitting for the people of Yemen to support the great Islamic project presented by Hizb ut Tahrir, the project of the Second Khilafah Rashidah on the Method of Prophethood. Allah (swt) said,

[وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ]

“And seek, through that which Allah ﷻ has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And do not seek to cause corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.” [TMQ Surah Al-Qasas: 77].